Directed by Cal Brunker<\/strong>
Written by Cal Brunker and Bob Barlen<\/strong>
95 minutes, rated PG<\/strong>
General release<\/strong>
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Over the past decade the intrepid canine rescue squad known as the Paw Patrol has undertaken hundreds of daring missions on land, sea and air, aided by a mass of expensive-looking hardware furnished by 10-year-old boss Ryder (currently voiced by Finn Lee-Epp).<\/p>\n
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In this latest run around the block the Paw Patrollers have acquired superhero powers.<\/span>Credit: <\/span> <\/cite><\/p>\n This new big-screen spinoff of the long-running children\u2019s TV show takes things to the next level by granting the heroes superpowers, via crystals embedded in a magic meteor.<\/p>\n Except … hang on, isn\u2019t this exactly what happened in the 2018 mini-feature Paw Patrol<\/em>: Mighty Pups<\/em>, which was made for TV but screened in cinemas in various territories including Australia?<\/p>\n Sure, the computer animation is a little fancier this time round (both the textures and the occasional witty details, such as an aghast pigeon peeping out of someone\u2019s handbag). There are more explosions and elaborate action sequences, and the squad\u2019s headquarters has shifted from sleepy Adventure Bay to bustling Adventure City, which despite the series\u2019 Canadian origins appears to be modelled on San Francisco.<\/p>\n There\u2019s also a new villain, a green-haired mad scientist named Victoria Vance (Taraji P. Henson) who dislikes being referred to as \u201cmad\u201d \u2013 as you would \u2013 and craves superpowers of her own. Still, director Cal Brunker and his team have clearly calculated their target audience either have short memories or don\u2019t mind seeing the same thing repeatedly.<\/p>\n Both bets are admittedly safe ones, but the blatant recycling operation says something about the cynicism of the whole approach, which is visible too in the choice to focus on female team members Skye (McKenna Grace) and Liberty (Marsai Martin), without addressing the awkward fact the Patrol remains an outfit where boy pups far outnumber girls.<\/p>\n If the goal was to make up for the show\u2019s past sexism, I\u2019m not sure it was the wisest choice to have Liberty spend most of her screen time babysitting the Junior Patrollers, a trio of honey-coloured fluff balls voiced for some reason by Kim Kardashian\u2019s kids. (Maybe this was their Christmas present.)<\/p>\n Elsewhere, Kim herself has a cameo as a poodle who wants to do the Patrol\u2019s social media and Christina Aguilera contributes a treacly ballad called Learning to Fly<\/em>, while enough self-aware gags are sprinkled throughout to prompt parents to wonder how far the joke is on them.<\/p>\n